Bonanza

Episode Guide

Invention Of A Gunfighter

Episode: 169
| Aired: September 19, 1964

Joe is friends with Johnny Chapman. Johnny has never learned to use a gun and is humiliated by Al Mooney who challenges him to a gun fight. Joe teaches him to shoot and when Johnny kills a man, Joe feels guilty.

The Hostage

Episode: 170
| Aired: September 26, 1964

Ben is kidnapped and held for $100,000 ransom by three men and a woman. Joe, Adam and Hoss try to rescue Ben by pitting the outlaws against one another.

The Wild One

Episode: 171
| Aired: October 03, 1964

Hoss goes to Lafe Jessip to buy some horses to use for breeding stock. Lafe is an ornery man who is married to a devout Quaker woman named Prudence. Lafe maintains that Prudence tricked him into marrying her and therefore wants nothing to do with her or the baby she is carrying.

Thanks For Everything, Friend

Episode: 172
| Aired: October 10, 1964

Adam falls in the river and is saved by Tom Wilson and Sue Miller. When Sues father is killed, Tom is blamed. Adam sets out to prove Toms innocence. After visiting Tom in jail, Sue confesses to murdering her father.

Logan's Treasure

Episode: 173
| Aired: October 17, 1964

Sam Logan is released from prison after serving 20 years for stealing $100,000 in gold dust. Logan claims he doesnt know where his partner Jack Crawford hid the money before they were captured.

The Scapegoat

Episode: 174
| Aired: October 24, 1964

Hoss keeps Waldo Watson from committing suicide. Hoss feels sorry for Waldo and brings him home to the Ponderosa. Waldo makes a poor ranch hand; one disaster after another follows Waldo. Waldo is also running from his former fight promoters who believe Waldo took a bribe.

A Dime's Worth Of Glory

Episode: 175
| Aired: October 31, 1964

Ben and Adam fight off two robbers who attempt to hold up the stage they are sharing with Tobias Finch. Finch is a writer who wants to write a dime novel about the courageous Cartwrights. Ben and Adam want no part of the book; Finch turns to Sheriff Reed Laramore, a has-been hero, who is more than wiling to follow his instructions.

Square Deal Sam

Episode: 176
| Aired: November 07, 1964

Sam is a charming old conman who winds up taking all the Cartwrights and Hop Sings money in a phony land deal. Old Sam and his wife eventually wind up running the orphanage in Virginia City.

Between Heaven And Earth

Episode: 177
| Aired: November 14, 1964

Joe is plagued by recurring nightmares after he loses his rifle on Eagles Peak. Joes fear of heights keeps him from getting his rifle back, but he doesnt want to admit he is afraid and he lashes out at his family in his frustration.

Old Sheba

Episode: 178
| Aired: November 21, 1964

Joe and Hoss take an elephant as payment for helping out in a circus. They bring the elephant home and both Adam and Ben tell them to take it back and get the money. When Joe and Hoss say they cant, Ben takes matters into his own hands.

A Man To Admire

Episode: 179
| Aired: December 05, 1964

When Hoss is accused of murder, he must depend on Whitney Parker, a once great lawyer, but now the town drunk. Parker is Hoss only hope and the Cartwrights must make sure Parker stays sober.

The Underdog

Episode: 180
| Aired: December 12, 1964

Ben hires half-Comanche Harry Star, not realizing Harry was part of a gang of horse thieves. Harry and his partners stage Harrys death to collect the reward that was issued for him.

A Knight To Remember

Episode: 181
| Aired: December 19, 1964

When the stage carrying Adam is robbed, the outlaws are chased off by a knight in full armor. Adam is left holding the strongbox and is arrested by the town Sheriff. Adam knows the Sheriff wont believe his story of a knight in armor, so he tells the Sheriff to wire Roy Coffee for a reference. When the same thing happens again, the fun starts as Adam tries to prove he is not seeing things.

NOT FOR AIR

Episode: 182
| Aired: December 26, 1964

Charlie is an Indian that lives outside of Virginia City. Charlie is taunted by some of the men in town who want that Indian "out of town." Charlie is befriended by Ben and a little girl named Angela. When Angela disappears, Charlie is framed for her murder.

The Flapjack Contest

Episode: 183
| Aired: January 02, 1965

Ben sends Joe into Virginia City to pick up the mail. Joe picks up the mail including a letter and a package from Adam. Joe is bushwhacked on the way home and the package from Adam is stolen. The letter from Adam states he is sending home a valuable ruby he bought for $1,000. Little Joe hides the theft from his father to keep Pa from asking too many questions about his poker-playing and late night activities.

The Far, Far Better Thing

Episode: 184
| Aired: January 09, 1965

The Cartwrights are visited by Bens old friend Martin Meldine and his daughter Lucy. Lucy is a pretty young woman who has gotten most of her ideas about life from books. Joe and his friend Tuck vie for Lucys attention and are captured by a band of renegade Indians. Lucy learns that real life is very different than the stories she reads in books.

Woman Of Fire

Episode: 185
| Aired: January 16, 1965

In this comic episode loosely based on the Taming of the Shrew, Adam is asked to "tame" Margarita. She is a hot tempered, strong willed woman who is visiting the Ponderosa with her father and sister. Margarita and her family are on their way to meet Margaritas fiance. Her sister and father fear Margarita will scare the suitor away so they ask Adam to help "gentle" her.

The Ballerina

Episode: 186
| Aired: January 23, 1965

Kellie Conrad dances in saloons as her father plays the fiddle. Hoss accidentally hurts Mr. Conrads arm, making it impossible for them to perform. Hoss takes them home so Mr. Conrad can recuperate. While at the Ponderosa, Kelly meets Paul Mandel, a former ballet dancer, who helps her achieve her dream of being a ballerina.

The Flannel-Mouth Gun

Episode: 187
| Aired: January 30, 1965

The cattlemen hire a range detective named Simmons to investigate the rash of cattle thefts that have occurred. Adam, voting for the Ponderosa, votes against the use of a range detective because he fears the small ranchers will be blamed. When the small ranchers are scared into selling their ranches for less than they are worth and one of the ranchers wives is killed, Adam investigates to find out who is behind all the trouble.

Ponderosa Birdman

Episode: 188
| Aired: February 06, 1965

Hoss becomes involved with Professor Klump. The Professor is working on an experiment which he believes will make men able to fly. Klump has built a pair of wings and is planning to sail off a cliff, but an injury prevents him from doing so. Hoss offers to help and soon Klump has him convinced that he should be the one to try the wings for the first time.

The Search

Episode: 189
| Aired: February 13, 1965

Adam goes searching for the man using his identity. He discovers Ann, a saloon girl, who helps him find Tom Burns - the man who seems to be Adam's double. Unfortunately, Tom is dead by the time they find him and Anns sure Toms old partner is responsible.

The Deadliest Game

Episode: 190
| Aired: February 20, 1965

A troop of circus trapeze performers visit Virginia City. The aging star of the troop is Bens old friend Borelli. Borelli is in love with Pitina, the much younger love interest of Carlo. Carlo is the young rising star of the troop and Borelli is jealous of him. When Carlos is found stabbed, Borelli frames Joe for the crimes.

Once A Doctor

Episode: 191
| Aired: February 27, 1965

Hoss befriends an Englishman named Professor Poppy. A traveling medicine man, Professor Poppy is really a doctor named Mundy who gave up medicine after was harassed by Mr. Crippen. Mr. Crippen believes Dr. Mundy killed his wife while operating on her. Mundy must use his medical skills to save Hoss after Crippen shoots, mistaking him for Mundy.

Right Is the Fourth R

Episode: 192
| Aired: March 06, 1965

Adam takes over for an injured school teacher named Barbara. He plans to have the children study the early history of the Nevada territory. While doing research for the class, he plans to interview several people, but finds some of the men very uncooperative. The men have reason for concealing their early endeavors in the territory.

Hound Dog

Episode: 193
| Aired: March 20, 1965

Cousin Muley Jones visits again and this time he comes with a pack of hound dogs. The dogs cause sleepless nights and chaos. Hoss and Muley decide to train the dogs to hunt coyotes plaguing the herd. The dogs dont take to hunting wolves and when their owner Tracy shows up, she is furious that they have ruined her bird dogs.

The Trap

Episode: 194
| Aired: March 27, 1965

Joes old girlfriend Hallie Shannon thinks Joe killed her husband so they could be together. Joe vehemently denies this. Shannons husbands twin brother believes it too. He comes to town and causes trouble for Joe. When Hallie is found dead, things look even worse.

Dead And Gone

Episode: 195
| Aired: April 03, 1965

Adam befriends Howard Meade, a guitar-playing drifter who is up to no good. Adam defends Meade when he is accused of robbing Johann and Hilda Brunners. Adam gets Johann to drop charges and Meade takes up with Hilda. Disaster follows.

A Good Night's Rest

Episode: 196
| Aired: April 10, 1965

All that Ben wants is a good nights sleep, but it seems everything is against him. At home, Adam is playing the guitar, Joe is laughing with a young lady and Hoss is snoring loudly. Ben decides to go back to town to spend the night in the hotel. Conditions are even worse in town.

To Own The World

Episode: 197
| Aired: April 17, 1965

Charles Hacket, the worlds richest man, decides he wants the Ponderosa and he will stop at nothing to get it. He blackmails one of Bens friends into selling him the land and water rights. In the process, Hacket almost loses the only person who ever truly loved him-- his wife.

The Return

Episode: 198
| Aired: May 01, 1965

Trace Cordell returns to Virginia City after serving time for shooting and crippling Paul Dorn. Dorn is now married to Traces old girlfriend and Dorn fears his wife may still have feelings for her old beau.

The Jonah

Episode: 199
| Aired: May 08, 1965

George, a new ranch hand on the Ponderosa, has a reputation for being a jinx. Hoss befriends him but even Hoss starts to worry when a gypsy fortune tellers predictions of events ending in death start to come true.

The Spotlight

Episode: 200
| Aired: May 15, 1965

Ben is the chairman of the entertainment committee for the Virginia City anniversary celebration. He gets retired opera singer Angela Drake to come to perform for the celebration. Blake stays at the Ponderosa talking endlessly about all her former accomplishments. She does not mention that she lost her voice years ago.

Patchwork Man

Episode: 201
| Aired: May 22, 1965

Hoss befriends Patch, a young recluse with a secret. Patch is a coward and runs from all confrontations. Hoss tries to help him and hires him to work on the Ponderosa. However, Ben is dismayed when Patch refuses to help when the Cartwrights are caught in a gunfight. Hoss belief in the young man turns out to be well founded when patch finally overcomes his own fears to save Hoss from a desperate situation.